please help me make a decision

by Moose Wed 12 Feb 2020, 4:25 pm

hello. i made a post a few weeks ago about my mouse’s eyeball popping out and the vet is doing everything he can to help me (i’m so blessed to have found him, he’s truly a very nice man) i took my mouse in to him today because his eye has gotten much worse, although my mouse doesn’t seem to be in pain at all and functioning normally otherwise, the doctor suggested surgery as an option to remove the eye. he explained that it would be very difficult however with pain management and anesthesia and there’s a chance my mouse could die. he says my mouse could live with his eye like this but there’s risk of infection if the nerves die and the eye falls out... but the vet said rodents in the wild sustain gaping wounds and heal just fine. so i’m so up in the air; if we decide to do mouse surgery i may lose my mouse, but his eye wouldn’t be a concern anymore if everything went successfully, as opposed to if we don’t then i could have him for a long time still, but we’d have to monitor the eye and pain levels, if any.

if you were in my position, what do you think you would do?

by Moose Thu 13 Feb 2020, 10:16 am

update!!!! good news!!!!

so i checked on my mouse today and the big mass that was his eye has fallen off!? the vet said that if the nerves die it may do that but i called and they’re going to have him call me back so we can discuss what to do next! but overall i think this is a good thing!

by TruffleBug Thu 13 Feb 2020, 3:38 pm

Sending positive vibes your way! I hope everything turns out to be ok!! Mouse2

by Lizardian Fri 14 Feb 2020, 11:38 am

I know since your situation has changed for the better my answer probably isn't relevant anymore, but hypothetically if I were in your position I wouldn't do surgery on a mouse - BUT - my reasoning is more personal than anything.

Mice are important animals and I love them just like everyone else on here, but due to their relatively short lifespans and fragile nature it doesn't make sense to me on an investment standpoint to do surgery. All of my mice have been "rescued" as feeders in bad, cramped, non-enriched environments, so my mindset has always been giving them the best life possible with lots of treats and care and if they're suffering, elect euthanasia. With that being said though, there are probably others on this site who think differently. Just because I personally wouldn't invest surgical options doesn't mean you shouldn't. It's up to you to make the best decision for you and your pet. Smile

I'm happy to hear your mouse is doing better though. They're definitely perservering little creatures. Hopefully it's all uphill from here!

by chiroptera Fri 14 Feb 2020, 9:20 pm

I would second not doing surgery in the eye situation, personally it just isn't worth the risk. Mice are tiny, tiny creatures, and both anesthesia itself and the surgery are high risk for them.

Plus, as Lizardian mentioned, mice ARE prey animals with very short lifespans. Not to say that you shouldn't give them the best care you can, but surgery is very expensive, and a mouse will only live so long even with the best of surgeons.

It's of course not a cut and dry scenario, but those are my thoughts at least.

BUT - your mousey seems to be doing better, which is what's most important. Hope everything heals well!! I've had 3 mice with missing eyes, and honestly none of them even noticed. Laughing